Writing and Publishing News from

February 1, 2011

Comments and Resources for Writers and Authors

Filed under: Resources,Writing — Patricia @ 6:37 am

I got a call last night asking about publishing ebooks—which type of ebook to publish and what does it entail. I did not feel qualified to respond in any depth or detail to these questions, but I did come up with some books that might help the author. There aren’t many such books out, yet. That should be my next project, since there’s so much activity within the world of ebook production and sales.

In case you are interested the books I located are: Make Money Online: Write and Sell Ebooks by Scott Boyd; ePublish: Self-publish fast and Profitably for Kindle, Create Space, IPhone and Print on Demand by Steve Weber and How to Write and Publish Your Own eBook in as Little as 7 Days by Jim Edwards and Joe Vitale.

I had a conversation with a former student yesterday. She said she wanted to start making money writing articles. She is contemplating taking my article-writing course and she asked, “Do you make money writing articles, Patricia? How many articles do you write per month?”

Here’s my response, “While I once supported myself through article-writing—for quite a few years, actually, I no longer earn money that way. I still write a lot of articles, but they are designed to promote my books and position myself as an expert/professional in my field. Most of the publications/websites/ezines I submit to do not pay—a few do, but pay isn’t much.

So no, I am no longer relying on article-writing to support myself. My writing/publishing business has taken a different direction.

When I was at my prime, I would send out dozens of queries—sometimes as many as 50 per month. But remember, I was writing on a wide variety of topics. I would write maybe 10 articles per month—depending on how much research and how many interviews were involved. Essays and articles on subjects I know well go together much easier and quicker than those on topics I have to research and get expert quotes for. (But the latter article generally brings in more money.) I might sell anywhere from 3 to 8 articles per month—earning anywhere from $500 to $3,000 month.

There is nothing steady and nothing you can count on in the article-writing business. Some freelance article writers make much more than I did—most fail quickly. It is a pretty intense way to make a living. You have to be strongly committed and you should enjoy the process.”

This student then asked, if I thought she could earn a certain amount of money each month. I said, “It all depends on you. Someone who looks for the need, watches trends and submits enough timely ideas to the right magazines in a professional way can surely meet your goals. Someone who is short-sighted, unwilling to stretch and grow and is too narrowly focused— probably not…”

I received another nice comment from a student in my online book proposal course today. She said, “This course has been a tremendous help to me. I had written a draft of my book, but since taking the course, I realize I’m going to need to develop the story arc more. It is definitely worth the $200 and then some.” And we are only up to class number six—two more to go.

For more information about my online, on-demand courses, visit http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm Or contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com

January 27, 2011

Hot Resources for Writers and Authors

Filed under: Resources,Writing — Patricia @ 7:45 am

How would you like some resources today? These are just some of the resources for freelance writers and authors that I have included in the February SPAWN Market Update, which is posted each first of the month in the member area of the SPAWN website. Several years of this meaty newsletter is archived at the SPAWN site for members to peruse, as well. We estimate that there are literally thousands of resources, leads and tips stored away there. SPAWN is Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network.

If you’re not sure what SPAWN is all about, sign up for SPAWNews, our FREE monthly newsletter here http://www.spawn.org and receive a FREE ebook, “Promote Yourself: 25 Ways to Promote Your Work, Whether You’re an Artist, Author or Small Publisher.”

Become a member of SPAWN and get access to a second newsletter—one of the absolute best newsletters around for freelance writers, authors and artists, the SPAWN Market Update. Join here: http://www.spawn.org

Here’s a peek into what our members will get this month—and this is just a smidge of what we’re providing in February.

For Freelance Writers. (Authors might also find these sites interesting and valuable.

1: Discover some of the trendiest topics to write about this year: http://trendwatching.com/briefing

2: Get story more story ideas: http://digg.com Or use Google Alerts to locate trends and happenings in your field of interest. http://www.google.com/alerts

For Authors
3: Promote your book this year through a book festival. I frequently provide links to festival and conference directories here and to our Market Update readers. Here’s a new one: http://www.author-network.com/festivals.html

4: Promote your children’s book or your unpublished manuscript by offering free stories to FreeChildrenStories. Learn more at http://www.freechildrenstories.com

5: Wow! Do you wonder if your title is a winner? Lulu has found a way to test your novel’s title against the success of historical bestsellers. Have fun with this: http://www.lulu.com/titlescorer/index.php

For Artists
6: Here are a three job sites for artists:
http://www.artistjobs.net
http://www.suite101.com/content/jobs-for-artists-a21795
http://artsopportunities.org

This issue of the SPAWN Market Update also lists 10 publishers who are seeking manuscripts—mainly childrens/young adult. And I list several high paying magazines with some solid ideas about how to break in.

If you’ve been following this blog, you “read” me speak of SPAWN occasionally. Maybe it is time for you to join so you can take advantage of all of the resources we offer. We also have a discussion group for members. In April we’re taking some of our members to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books where they will have the opportunity to sell their books from the SPAWN booth.

Membership is $65/year. Members who get involved and partake of what we offer, say that they paid for their membership many times over in their first few weeks because of the leads and resources they discovered in the SPAWN Market Update.

When you join—and each time you renew your membership—you get a free book of your choice. See the list of choices here: http://www.spawn.org/member.htm#freebooks

Questions? PLFry620@yahoo.com

January 20, 2011

How to Use Examples to Develop Your Query Letter

Filed under: Writing — Patricia @ 5:34 am

We all like to see examples to follow when we are in doubt as to how to write a book proposal or a query letter. But do they help?

Do you find examples helpful or do they just confuse you? Do you feel as though you should take examples too seriously—if the example query letter includes a list of experts who will be quoted, you believe this is a necessary element for your query letter? If the example query letter includes five marketing ideas, you deduce that you need to come up with five marketing ideas. No! Examples are just examples or ideas for you to use as a guide in designing your own query letter.

Obviously, your query letter will not look exactly like any other query letter because your subject is different and your writing style is different. Your experiences, connections and skills will differ. You could look at a hundred query letters and never find one exactly like yours or one that you feel comfortable patterning yours after. That’s okay. Just use them as guides and study the available instructions to design your query letter. Just keep in mind that your goal is to adequately and succinctly describe your project and make a case for it—sell it.

Rather than taking away from an example exact specifics to use in your query letter, you should study the deeper purpose of the query letter and come to understand its intent. Then go to work devising your query letter with those elements—a description of your project and why it is important/viable. Throw in your abilities, skills and connections that will help to sell this book and you could be signing a publishing contract sometime soon.

Resources and Opportunities for Writers
I have a couple of links I’d like to share. For new writers, you might want to visit http://www.writersandillustrators.com. It is a new writing community where you can display your unpublished work and get it critiqued. You can critique other works and communicate with other writers.

http://www.guru.com is an online marketplace for freelance talent and offers the opportunity to market your skills worldwide. If you need a web designer or photographer or if you want to promote your freelance writing or graphic arts business, you might want to check out Guru.com.

Be sure to sign up for your FREE ebooklet, 50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book at http://www.patriciafry.com

January 16, 2011

Are You Addicted to Your Book?

Filed under: Authorship,Writing — Patricia @ 4:44 am

Do you seem to eat, sleep and drink your book project? You are writing or revising it every minute you have available. And when you are not working on your book, you are thinking about it. You wake up in the night with ideas. You begin to consider changes or improvements while out walking. And in the middle of a conversation with someone on a completely unrelated topic, you might have an epiphany about how to handle a tricky problem in your story or the structure of your nonfiction book.

I’m in the thick of revising and updating my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book for Allworth Press/Skyhorse and that project is currently ruling my life. Thankfully, I am enjoying every minute of the work—well most minutes. Every once in a while I have a dilemma that makes me a little cranky. But for the most part, I love the work. I can’t wait to get up in the morning to go back to work on it and I have trouble pulling myself away from my desk to visit with our house guest, to run an errand or even to take a walk.

I keep a pen and paper handy for note-taking so I don’t forget a brilliant thought that occurs while I am away from my computer. The only thing I don’t do is discuss the project with nonwriters/nonauthors. They do not understand. If I start talking about a problem I’m having with organization, my frustration with deciding what to pare down and what to keep, the joy I experience when the project is moving along nicely, my thrill at seeing it come together, seemingly, ahead of schedule, they look at me with eyes glazed over.

But you, my dear blog followers, you understand. You are in the trenches with me working on book projects. You are out there composing, revising, self-editing—you know the joys and the challenges. Do you also have some tips for those writers who haven’t become obsessed with their projects, yet?

Yes, there are hopeful authors who just can’t discipline themselves to write. They are either genuinely too busy with life issues or they aren’t motivated enough to sit down and do the writing they claim they want to do.

There are many reasons why authors don’t write. Their excuses come in many shapes and forms. And it’s a shame when someone has a story to tell or information they want to share, but they just can’t get it together to actually do the writing. Or they get so far with their books and become stuck. Do you have advice for these authors?

Maybe my newest ebooklet would help. There has been quite a flurry of interest in 50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book. Get your free copy at http://www.patriciafry.com

January 13, 2011

Introduction to 50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book

Filed under: Authorship,Writing — Patricia @ 5:34 am

I’m offering my latest ebooklet, 50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book FREE at http://www.patriciafry.com. Here is what I wrote in the introduction of this 24-page ebooklet.

Are you pretty sure that your book idea is a valid one? Even though you are confident in the choices you’ve made with regard to your book project, you downloaded this “50 Reasons” book, anyway. Perhaps you hope to further justify your decisions. Maybe you would like some additional nudging or rationale as to why you should move forward with your proposed book.

What more do you need to know about your project before going to print? You’ve written about something that you know, your friends and family agree that it is good, it’s a salable topic/genre or there wouldn’t be so many other books out there like it. Right? On the other hand, maybe your research indicated that there is nothing else out there like it and that’s why you are moving forward with your one-of-a-kind book.

Whatever your reasons for choosing this book or for wanting to produce yours, I’m glad you are here with an open mind and a willingness to explore beyond your desires, dreams and wishful thinking.

Some of the facts, observations and suggestions in this book might not resonate well with the artist in you. They might seem to go against your right brain leanings. However, if you hope to produce a successful book, whether it is a novel, a children’s book, your memoir, a reference guide or a business book, there is a lot to be learned from among these 50 Reasons.

Study them. Mull them over. Double check the facts. Reinforce their impact by reading other books by this author—Patricia Fry, as well as books, articles and newsletters by publishing professionals, such as Dan Poynter (publishing options and the business of publishing), Jeff Herman (book proposals), Mark Levine (pay-to-publish companies), Brian Jud and Penny Sansevieri (book marketing).

Continue to learn by joining organizations such as the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) http://www.ibpa-online.org and SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org

Download 50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book today: http://www.patriciafry.com

January 3, 2011

Words, Words, Words

Filed under: Writing — Patricia @ 7:25 am

Have you seen the latest annual list of “banished words” from Lake Superior State University in Michigan? These include words and terms that are overused, misused and have, perhaps, become trite.

They chose fourteen words and terms they’d like to see go away in 2011. If you’re still using any of them, you might want to consider eliminating them from your vocabulary sometime soon.

The most disliked word of the year is “viral.” Second and third on the list are “epic” and “fail,” when describing “a blunder of monumental proportions,” according to reporter Ros Krasny.

These are not words that you habitually use? Wait, how about these terms: “a-ha moment,” “back story” and “wow factor.” Will you miss hearing the ring of these tired phrases or not? How would you feel to see “BFF” go by the wayside? And these critics are suggesting that we no longer use “Facebook” and “Google” as verbs. Now wait a minute… I do not think that’s going to happen.

“Man up” is another phrase that this group has deemed passé.

Read the rest of the 2011 banished words, their meanings and why they were nominated to be eliminated here http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php

What about the new words for 2011—here are a few: twenty-eleven, Obama-mess, Great Recession, Palinism and TwitFlocker.

What words would you like to see retired? Have you coined a new word or phrase lately? Want to share?

Visit Patricia Fry’s websites: http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

January 1, 2011

Take Charge of Your Writing in 2011

Filed under: Publishing,Writing — Patricia @ 6:13 am

Happy New Year. May this be the year that the fruits of your writing labor reward you to the fullest. If you’re just starting out with a writing project, my wish for you is that you will do what it takes in order to succeed. Don’t rely on others to create your success. Be proactive on your behalf.

Study the publishing industry and the field in which you want to become involved, whether it be article-writing, producing a book, freelancing for businesses, etc. If you want to blog, start your own blog rather than giving away your wonderful information or benefit of your wisdom. If you want to write for magazines, establish your own business instead of following in someone else’s success. Branch out to include new writing opportunities rather than sticking with what’s familiar. And if you want to publish a book this year, do your best to take charge. Consider seeking out a traditional publisher for your project or establishing your own publishing company in order to produce the book instead of going with a pay-to-publish company.

As you read through these recommendations, do you feel weak-kneed? Are you frightened and insecure or excited and confident? No matter what you feel, I strongly suggest that you take control of your professional writing life as the New Year begins by educating and pumping up yourself. Prepare for your publishing success. How? You’ve taken a great first step by visiting this blog. Step two should be to read relevant books such as, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Here are a few comments from those who have read it:
“I read your book as soon as I received it. It is definitely a must have for anyone serious about writing.”

“I found your book helpful mainly as a brainstorming tool while thinking of ways to publish my first novel. It was helpful in framing strategies.”

“I found your book to be a very valuable as a reference. There are tons of valuable bits of information. I think of it as my writer’s bible.”

“Kudos on your straight-talking, The Right Way to Write Publish and Sell Your Book. I love your direct approach.”

“I love all of the books I’ve bought from you. Your personable writing style makes it seem as though you are speaking directly to me. I consider The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book as my Bible. It’s the Grandmother of all of your books. The straightforward information on promoting and marketing has helped me so much. Thanks for writing such great books”

“This book would be a valuable addition to any writer’s bookshelf, but especially that of the newbie.”

“I purchased, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, a few months back. I have read all of the introductory chapters and pertinent sections to match my particular activities at the moment. All of these are invaluable, as well as very well organized.”

“I purchased The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and you gave me a lot of information that was useful in putting together my proposal. Also, thank you so much for answering my questions. You have no idea how much it has helped me out.”

“I am on the second reading of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and have recommended it to two other people. It is a GREAT help and resource.”

“I have read most of the book and have found it very helpful. You are encouraging, yet honest and direct. I am a former English teacher and a hopeful author. I hope someday to put your good advice to work.”

“Your book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, has been my bible. I read and re-read your advice and recommendations. Thanks for all of your help.”

“I would like to thank you for your book. It is very useful to me. I followed all of your suggestions in the book and I am very happy to tell you they all helped. I will tell my fellow authors to buy your book so their books will fly also. Thanks a million. You are my mentor.

http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

December 30, 2010

The Writer’s Deadline Dilemma

Filed under: Writing — Patricia @ 7:02 am

Do you feel as if you are up against a deadline? There’s just one more day of 2010 and it’s over. Do you have regrets? Unfinished business? Do you feel a need to hurry to complete or start something in order to meet a goal you set early in the year (or even several years ago)?

Is this how you face assignment deadlines—with anxiety, disappointment, pangs of guilt? Do you miss deadlines? How do you handle this? Do you contact the editor or publisher and explain that you can’t meet deadline? Or do you just cram, like you did in college, working all hours of the day and night until you complete the work?

The fact is that some writers and authors thrive on deadlines—claiming it keeps them focused and gives them parameters. These people are good at organizing their lives and their time. Others consider a deadline their enemy—an invisible force set in front of them designed to make them fail.

While some writers do better work under deadline, others get sloppy because they feel so pressured.

Which writer are you? Do you complete projects way under deadline or do you rush in a sweat to the finish line? Or are you somewhere in the middle?

You know, deadlines are not actually steel barriers. If you look at them as steel barriers or as some sort of evil threat, of course, you will experience anxiety. If you can view a deadline, instead, as a gentle reminder, you may have an easier time meeting it. But it is also important that you take the deadline seriously, which may be one reason why people miss them—they dis anything that puts restrictions on them.

Why are there deadlines in a free world? Editors and publishers need to know that they will have material in time for their magazines or their book publishing quota. And generally, they try to create enough leeway for writers in case you need an extension on your deadline if only you would ask. This knowledge might help you to relax about the deadline restriction. But I would be careful. Some of those deadlines are strict and critical. And making a habit of asking to move deadlines or missing a couple of deadlines could definitely hamper your standing within the professional writing community.

What is your attitude about deadlines? Do you love or hate them? Have you ever missed one or asked to have one moved? Was it the end of the world or did the editor/publisher work with you?

I happen to like deadlines. While I might feel a bit of stress when working on deadline, it is the type of stress that keeps me moving forward. It is the sort of stress that helps me to organize my time and dedicate myself to the project at hand. Often I also have other work—I do help run an organization, a household and an editorial business, after all. It can get rather sticky trying to manage all that needs to be done. But then, I don’t commit to a deadline if I don’t think I can do it.

I work with others on deadline, as well. I interview people for a newsletter I write. I ask people to contribute to books and articles I’m writing and so forth. And I always give them deadlines. There are always some who don’t make it. No amount of reminding or prodding can put them on track. There are others who come in way ahead of deadline—like me, they try to get it off of their desk as quickly as they can so they can move on to the next item on their to-do list. And others methodically present me with the information I need exactly on deadline.

Meeting deadlines is an interesting and complex topic as it has more to do with the inner workings of your mind than it does anything else—don’t you think? Some people always arrive to meetings or social events late and cannot see why this would be a problem—they always have an excuse, after all. Other people always arrive early. And then there are those who meticulously show up on time no matter what. I don’t imagine the writer on deadline is any different from the individual at large—those who arrive early will turn in their articles ahead of time, those who are habitually late to events and activities, will have a much more difficult time meeting writing deadlines. Or do you have proof to refute this theory?

This would be a good place to discuss it—leave a comment.

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

December 27, 2010

Online, On-Demand Courses for Authors/Writers

Filed under: Writing — Patricia @ 8:02 am

Today is the first class of my free book proposal course. I’m excited. I always enjoy working with authors on their projects—which is why I do this for a living. Hopefully, there will be several success stories emerge from this course. And word will get out about the value of what I offer and bring me more talented clients.

In today’s class we are discussing the purpose of the book proposal and why I believe that a book proposal is more for the author than the publisher. I’ll go over the various parts to the book proposal—for a novel and for a nonfiction book. We will also examine our book titles and talk about the cover letter and title page. Students will work on these two parts of the book proposal this week.

I have also asked each student to send me a description of their projects so I will be more in touch with what they need throughout the 8-week course.

This course is now full. But if you are interested in the Book Proposal Course or one of the other 5 online, on-demand courses I teach, please check them out at http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm.

By the way, when I say, “on-demand,” that means that you can sign up at anytime and choose which day of the week you would like to receive the lectures and assignments. Fees for my courses are: $125 to $200.

Contact me with your questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

I’m finishing up an editing job and may have another one coming in this week, so I’m cutting today’s post short. If you have a burning question or would like me to cover a specific topic related to freelance writing, authorship, publishing, book promotion, etc., just let me know.

December 26, 2010

Our Writing Habits

Filed under: Writing — Patricia @ 5:25 am

If you’ve spent any time at all studying the world of book publishing, reading articles and books on authorship, visiting blogs like this one, etc., you know that publishing professionals highly recommend that you hire a good book editor for your book before publishing. I am one of those who advises authors to hire an editor for their manuscript. And one reason may surprise you.

While your manuscript may be fairly well-written, your writing habits could be getting in the way of it being very well-written. Yes, we all have writing habits. They stem from our way of communicating. Writing is communicating, after all. And sometimes our way of communicating doesn’t actually work well in a manuscript which is meant to entertain or inform, for example.

What habits am I referring to? Here are a few:

• The overuse of pet words and phrases. One of them for me used to be “of course,” at the beginning of sentences.

• Creating long, complicated explanations or descriptions, often leading to run-on sentences and muddy writing.

• Trying to use words to impress or forcing the use of unfamiliar words.

• The overuse of commas and other punctuation for emphasis. Too many exclamation points, for example, soon devalue the enthusiasm factor.

• Misuse of punctuation such as quotation marks, em dashes, ellipses.

• Inappropriate paragraph breaks.

• A tendency to over explain, leading to a lot of repeated words.

• The inability to appropriately organize your material—sentences, paragraphs.

• Writing for yourself rather than your reader.

Today, why don’t you examine a few pages of your manuscript and see if you can find patterns that tend to brand your way of writing. See if you can discover your writing habits. Do they enhance or spoil your work? I can tell you that almost any habit that is repeated over and over in your writing (and isn’t that the definition of a habit?) will tend to taint it. You may be surprised at how much fresher and more meaningful your writing can be once an editor helps you to rid your work of some of those writing habits.

Visit my websites for resources, articles on editing (and other topics) and a description of my services:
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

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